Steve rolled his eyes. "Media," he pointed out. "And fond memories from good friends." He shrugged, as if that explained everything.

Lucy watched him and smiled a little at his reaction. But she didn't ask, and she didn't push, just kind of watching for now.

"The media does love you, don't they?" Mavin mused, watching him. "Well. For the most part. And nobody listens to Fox News anyways."

Bucky finished the cookie and glanced at the container, but didn't reach for another one. He still wasn't used to the idea that he was allowed to just have things. The habit of waiting until things were given to him was still too deeply ingrained.

"Pretty much," Steve agreed. "Still not really sure why, but there you have it."

Lucy ended up leaving the tin with him for a while as she got distracted by a few of the kids trying to pull her into a game.

Mavin just raised an eyebrow.

"Do you not own any mirrors?" she asked, looking him over briefly. "Don't get me wrong, heroics are good, you know, 'if it bleeds, it reads' and all that. But seriously, you must look ridiculously good on camera."

Steve snorted quietly. "Still not really used to it," he told her. "I mean, I know it, yeah. People tell me often enough. But half the time I still think I'm that skinny kid."

"I can't say I know what that's like," Mavin admitted. "But I'll take your word for it."

Steve smiled a bit at that and shook his head a bit. "Buck, you just about ready to head out?" he asked. Then he did a double take when he saw the tin. "Where'd you get that?" he asked, curious.

Bucky blinked and looked over at him, tin still in his hands.

"She handed it to me," he said, glancing in the direction Lucy had gone.

"Huh. Okay." Steve nodded, and then paused. Bucky could still be iffy about people sometimes, especially with being handed things. "And that was... fine?"

Bucky paused for a long moment, not sure how to answer.

"There were no further instructions," he finally said.

Steve nodded, but he didn't even have time to do more than that before Lucy poked her head out of a tangle of children, alerted by the shift in Bucky's emotions. Not that she was listening, really.

"Did you like them?" she asked, extricating herself expertly and walking over to Bucky again.

Bucky just glanced at Steve. He was starting to get the least bit overwhelmed, and he wasn't quite sure what she was asking or how to respond.

Steve rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they were fine," he said. "We were just getting ready to go."

Lucy's eyes shuttered at that but she kept her smile on. "Of course," she murmured, gently taking the tin from Bucky. But she passed him one more cookie for the road before she went to go hide in the kitchen again. Mavin could show them out.

Bucky accepted the cookie easily. This, he knew what to do with. He stood up, and nodded to Steve that he was ready to go.

"Thank you," he said to Lucy. Or rather, to her back, as she walked off.

Lucy waved a hand over her shoulder to acknowledge his thanks, and managed to send a complex little ping to Mavin that was, essentially, a mix of feelings: minor anxiety, get-them-away-from-me, uncertainty, and a bit of resolve that slipped in while she wasn't looking.

Steve nodded and headed for the door, glancing at Mavin. "Are you staying here for a while longer or heading home?" he asked her.

Mavin understood Lucy's little ping, and brushed some crumbs from her shirt.

"Actually," she said, "I'll walk you two out, and then there's one more thing I need before I can head home."

Steve blinked but nodded, walking with her to the door. "I'll call you in a few days to arrange the next visit," he said, glancing back at Bucky.

Mavin nodded.

"Alright," she said. "I'll be ready for it."

Bucky just nodded as well. A few days would probably be okay. He could handle coming back in a few days.

Steve nodded and headed back out to the car, making sure Bucky was still with him. He figured a week would be enough time to give Bucky some time to recover, and then come back for another visit.

A week later, Mavin was back at the mansion with them for the next visit. She hoped that Barnes would have an easier time of it this time around.

Bucky sat there, a little sullen, as he waited for Xavier to start.

Steve had settled himself next to Mavin for now, just watching.

Xavier wheeled his way in with Lucy behind him. He smiled slightly.

"Apologies for my lateness, one of the students had a minor accident."

Lucy coughed suspiciously.

Mavin raised an eyebrow at that, glancing at Lucy.

"A minor accident?" Bucky repeated, a little skeptical. "What happened?"

"One of the children decided to get cookies by toppling the fridge," Xavier told them, his lips twitching.

Lucy just hid her grin behind her hand.

"Oh dear," Mavin murmured. She looked at her sister again and silently asked, 'Connor?'

Bucky considered that for a moment and snorted softly.

"Kids these days," he said. He glanced at Steve. "Just like in our day."

Lucy shook her head minutely. Nope, not Connor.

Steve snickered at that. "No kidding," he said.